As we’ve seen in the last section, dealing with arthritis is, to a great degree, about dealing with inflammation in your body. Most of the dietary, supplemental and lifestyle changes recommended in this book to prevent or heal arthritis start by food choices that heal inflammation.
The anti-inflammation diet is fairly close to the already popular Mediterranean Diet, which consists primarily of fish, fruit, vegetables, cereals, beans and neutral fats. In those with rheumatoid arthritis, it’s been associated with as much as a 56 per cent reduction in symptoms like joint swelling, tenderness and pain, and with better movement and vitality.1 One reason may be that this largely plant-based diet is high in certain anti-inflammatory compounds, such as essential fatty acids and enzymes.
Before jumping in, however, and making radical dietary changes, bear in mind that the most effective approach is to introduce change gradually. If you quit toxic and inflammatory foods overnight, not only can your body go into a rapid detoxification reaction – temporarily bringing into your life detox symptoms such as headaches and joint pain and stiffness (some of the very things you’re trying to avoid) – but also you probably won’t last very long on the new programme anyway because the change will just seem too difficult. Avoid self-sabotage by taking at least a month to cut out fast foods and over-processed foods laden with bad fats, additives, sugars and wheat. Slowly replace processed foods with whole foods, fruits, vegetables and grains. And don’t let the slogan ‘whole grain’ in breads and other supermarket products fool you since many so-called ‘whole grain’ breads are laden with sugar and many additives and artificial ingredients.
As you progress, take notes of your reactions. How do you feel? What do you crave? What symptoms are disappearing? After six weeks off all the hyper-inflammatory food, if you want to determine which foods in particular don’t work for your body, you can try reintroducing them, one by one. Notice what reactions your body has (if any) to a food reintroduction. For example, does reintroducing milk in your tea bring on a big case of the snuffles, causing you to reach for the tissues again? If so, this is a big clue that your body is lactose-intolerant. Similar discoveries can be made by reintroducing potatoes and tomatoes and other nightshades. Do little aches and pains suddenly come back?
Mix it up. Try to eat different foods every day. This helps ensure you’re getting all the vital nutrients your body needs, and helps you to stick to your new diet plan to keep your meals interesting. Eat several kinds of vegetables at one meal, and remember that most vegetables serve to increase the alkalinity of your body, which helps reduce inflammation. Make sure to get enough fibre in your diet by eating fruit, vegetables, whole grains, legumes and seeds – and don’t forget to drink plenty of pure (filtered) water.
Avoid the following foods, which boost inflammation in your body:
Not all flesh food needs to be avoided. Organic chicken, organic turkey, wild game, and wild-caught deep-sea fish, including salmon, tuna, herring and halibut (all sources of EPA, or eicosapentaenoic acid, and DHA, or docosahexaenoic acid), are healthy protein choices. Among red meats, only those high in a specific fatty acid (arachidonic acid) are believed to promote inflammation in the body.
When looking for a dairy substitute, experiment with dairy alternatives such as unsweetened almond milk, rice milk, hemp milk and coconut milk. Most people are at least somewhat lactose-intolerant and don’t know it. If, having eliminated all dairy from your diet for six weeks, you want to experiment and see if your body can handle it, try reintroducing whole, raw (that is, unpasteurized) milk products from a reputable organic supplier.
If there is one dairy product more essential than others, it’s butter, for the health-giving saturated fats. Homemade probiotic-rich kefirs and yogurts are great for gut health too, and incredibly easy to make. However, only dark chocolate, not milk chocolate, eaten in reasonable amounts and sweetened with honey or other noninflammatory sweeteners, is non-inflammatory and good for you.
There’s increasing evidence that a vegetarian or vegan diet can help to heal arthritis. Revealingly, researchers have found that a vegan, gluten-free diet can lead to up to a 10-fold increase in the rate of rheumatoid arthritis patients showing symptom improvement.2
Besides avoiding certain foods, you also need to avoid a number of drinks that are pro-inflammatory. One of the greatest culprits is carbonated soft drinks.
After assessing the diets and lifestyles of 2,149 people with osteoarthritis in the knee joints, researchers discovered that carbonated drinks speed the progress of the disease, especially in men. Drinking just one sugary carbonated drink a day seems to quicken the disease and make the symptoms worse, particularly in men who aren’t obese. Researchers from the Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Tufts Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, and Brown University, Rhode Island, reported that the more carbonated drinks non-obese men had, the worse their symptoms became.3
Coffee drinkers may also face a higher risk of rheumatoid arthritis in later life, say Finnish researchers after studying nearly 26,000 individuals over 15 years. Those who drink four or more cups of coffee daily are twice as likely as occasional drinkers to test positive for arthritis. Anyone gulping down 11 or more cups a day was almost 15 times as likely to have high levels of rheumatoid factor circulating in their blood – a hallmark early sign of rheumatoid arthritis.4
Making coffee or tea with tap water and even some bottled waters is a potential formula for arthritis too. Fluoride is added to municipal water supplies and even some bottled waters.
After studying 112 people with fluorosis, researchers have drawn up a list of symptoms of the early stages of fluorosis poisoning5 that usually manifest before bone damage, including musculoskeletal problems such as:
General symptoms of fluorosis include: coughing, excess mucus, breathing difficulties, mouth ulcers, bleeding gums, palpitations, vertigo, sleep problems, excessive thirst, excessive urination, joint pain, rash, memory loss, tinnitus (persistent ringing in the ears) and fatigue.
Vegetables lead the list of anti-arthritis/anti-inflammatory foods to eat, especially dark leafy greens and brightly coloured veggies – Swiss chard, kale, spinach, rocket, beetroot, peppers (unless you are allergic to nightshades) and carrots – sweet potatoes (not white potatoes), yams, onions, parsnips, turnips, squashes (summer and winter), pumpkins and shitake mushrooms. Cruciferous vegetables such as broccoli and Brussels sprouts are particularly healing for arthritis conditions, as are asparagus, pak choi (bok choy in the USA), cauliflower, celery, cabbage and fennel. Kelp should be added to the list as well.
One vegetable in particular is an arthritis-fighting champion. Studies have found that eating a serving of broccoli every day could prevent and slow the spread of osteoarthritis. Sulphoraphane, a compound in the vegetable, slows the destruction of joint cartilage by blocking enzymes and interfering with the inflammatory processes associated with osteoarthritis. Sulphoraphane is also found in Brussels sprouts and cabbage.
Researchers from the University of East Anglia calculate that eating 100g (3.5oz) of broccoli, the equivalent to a handful, every day might prevent the disease or even slow its progress once it’s been diagnosed.
After successfully demonstrating the positive effects of sulphoraphane in laboratory and animal trials,6 researchers are now considering giving patients with osteoarthritis ‘supercharged’ broccoli – a specially grown variety that’s a cross between standard broccoli and the wild broccoli found in Sicily,7 in the hope that they’ll see the disease slow and joints start to repair.
Besides vegetables, certain fruits help to put out your body’s fire as well. Brightly coloured berries are the best for dealing with inflammation, and they also contain lots of antioxidants and phytonutrients. Blueberries are especially potent, but red and black raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, salmonberries, grapes and currants are good choices as well. Pineapple, kiwi, papaya and apricots (which contain the anti-inflammatory phytochemical known as quercetin) are all specific inflammation-fighters. If you’re not sensitive to citric acid, lemons and limes are good choices, as are oranges and grapefruit. Avocados are incredibly delicious fruits that are anti-inflammatory, contain healthy fats and are one of the healthiest foods on the planet. Cantaloupe melons are filled with phytonutrients, antioxidants, and vitamins A and C, all highly anti-inflammatory. New evidence supports the view that phytonutrients, antioxidants and various vitamins can help to protect you from developing arthritis.8
As for grains, opt for gluten-free grains like millet, quinoa, whole rice (black, brown or red) and wild rice, amaranth and buckwheat. Beans and legumes, such as black beans, chickpeas (garbanzo beans), kidney beans, lima beans, lentils and peas, are a hearty substitute for refined gluten products and are also good sources of protein and fibre.
The best protein choices include eggs, organic chicken, organic turkey, wild game, and wild-caught deep-sea fish, including salmon, tuna, herring and halibut. Oysters and prawns, in moderation, are also fine.
Non-inflammatory sweeteners include honey, brown rice syrup, coconut syrup, maple syrup, molasses, Xylitol and Stevia. Use healthy oils such as coconut oil, olive oil, avocado oil, organic butter/ghee and lard. Omega-3-rich oils cold-pressed from algae, fish and seeds (chia, flax, hemp, pumpkin and so on) are also an essential part of a healthy inflammation-free diet. Healthy nuts and seeds include almonds, cashews, walnuts, flax and chia.
The most anti-inflammatory spices include turmeric, curcumin, cinnamon and ginger.
It’s important for people with gout to follow a low-acid diet, avoiding foods that are rich in purines, the chemicals the body converts to uric acid, which lead to the formation of crystals in joints, resulting in pain and inflammation.
In one study, substitution of a purine-free formula diet over a period of days reduced the blood-uric-acid levels of healthy men from an average of 5.0mg/dl to 3.0mg/dl.9 This can prevent attacks of gout from recurring. Drinking six to eight glasses of water a day also helps, as this will dilute uric-acid levels in the blood.
A traditional remedy for gout is consuming one half to one pound (225–250g) of sweet cherries a day. While the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is unconvinced of the health benefits of this fruit, a recent small study has supported cherries’ reputed anti-gout action.10 Celery juice (or celery seed) is another folk remedy for gout that’s apparently widely used in Australia.
Carrying out intermittent fasting is a final change to your diet that may offer a powerful way to mitigate arthritis symptoms.
Studies at the University of Oslo have found benefits from a short fast followed by dietary changes in alleviating symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.11 In one two-year study, improvement was noted in patients with rheumatoid arthritis after fasting followed by an individually adjusted vegetarian diet for a year. Follow-up a year later showed that the benefit remained for a subset of those who had stuck to the vegetarian diet.12
Fasting for just two days can kick-start the immune system – and might reverse autoimmune conditions such as arthritis. Going without food for two to four days kills older and damaged immune cells while generating new ones. At the beginning of a fast, white blood cells are killed off before a ‘regenerative switch’ is flipped, which alters the signalling pathways of stem cells responsible for the generation of blood and immune-system cells.
Other extensive changes in the diet after a fast have also been investigated, particularly cutting out meat. A review of four studies looking at the effect of brief fasting followed by at least three months on a vegetarian diet showed ‘a statistically and clinically significant beneficial long-term effect’.13
Fasting, followed by a vegan diet, may also have a positive effect on gut flora, that population of microbes in your gut. One Norwegian study followed patients with rheumatoid arthritis who were asked to fast for seven to 10 days, then follow a vegan diet for three and a half months and finally to adhere to a lacto-vegetarian diet for a further nine months. The Norwegian researchers discovered improvements in the patients, which couldn’t be explained by any changes in immune-system activity. However, ‘the faecal flora differed significantly between samples collected at time points at which there was substantial clinical improvement,’ noted the researchers, suggesting that the state of your microbiome plays a major role in exacerbating or healing arthritis.14
Fasting could be an important strategy for anyone with an immune deficiency, including autoimmune disorders such as arthritis, say researchers from the University of Southern California’s School of Gerontology. The researchers were astonished by the health benefits of fasting, which they measured with two-, three- and four-day fasts. They suspect that fasting might benefit all of the body’s organs, and not just the immune system.15
You can fast by consuming only juices (made up of allowed fruits or vegetables) or simply water. If you choose to do a fast, don’t just go cold turkey. Make sure to slowly wind down your consumption of food to light proteins, vegetables and whole grains before entering the fast, and do the same in reverse once you break the fast. If you intend to fast for more than three or four days, be sure to work with an experienced, qualified professional, who can monitor your progress.
Back in the 1980s, when Dr Collin H. Dong developed a simple diet similar to that followed by ancestral Chinese peasants, his ‘caveman diet’ excluded meat, fruit, dairy products, vinegar and other acids, peppers, hot spices, chocolate, dry-roasted nuts, alcohol and soft drinks, and was high in fish and fish oils.
In her book Diet for Life16, a cookbook for arthritis sufferers, Mary Laver, a patient of Dr Collin H. Dong’s, based in England, describes how she recovered from arthritis after faithfully following this regime. Laver says the diet takes from three to six weeks to work. When the diet is working, she tells us, there’s a foul taste in the mouth caused by the elimination of toxins from the system. Laver claims that the diet didn’t cure her arthritis (her blood tests remain positive today), but it ended her symptoms of stiffness and pain.